Combination awning and shutter



Dena W, 1935. H. A, JOHNSTON 2,023,528

COMBINATION AWNING AND SHUTTER Filed May 31, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 rave/war H. A. JOHNSTO/V l3) nrryk.

1935' H. A. JOHNSTON COMBINATION AWNING AND SHUTTER Filed May 31, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application. May 31', 1932, Serial No. 614,378 In Canada May 6, 1932 7' Claims..

My invention relates to improvements combination. awnings and shutters particularly those adaptable for use on verandahs, porches, sleeping balconies and the like, and the objects of my invention are to provide combination awnings and shutters that can be easily and quickly closed from the interior of the verandah, porch, or sleeping balcony when desired, and which can. be as easily and quickly opened to any desiredangle, and at the same time will give a neat and desirable awning efiect.

My invention also relates to the operating mechanism of the combination awnings and shutters and to a verandah design with sectional detachable screens.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a full angle view of: all working mechanism and parts of the post. and. frame of awnings and shutters to which such mechanism is attached.

Figure 2 is a plan view of my articulated metal covered lever arrangement used for raising, the upper awning.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing one of the. sec-- tions of the operating lever for the upper awnmg.

Figure 4 shows an. interior face view of. averandah equipped with combination awnings; shutters and operating lever.

Figure 5 shows an exterior front and part end view of a verandah, equippedwith said combination awnings and shutters.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective showing of the cam action friction lock in situ, used in association with my invention.

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 consist of an opened out perspective representation of the cam action friction lock in which:

Fig. '7 shows the cover plate and cam track.

Fig. 8 shows the slideable member and bearing plate.

Fig. 9 shows the base plate and; attaching ears.

In the drawings, like characters of references indicate corresponding parts in the several. figures.

Referring to the drawings:

In Figure 1, I represents a. partof the centre post between two sections of screen to which all principal mechanism is attached for the operation of the awnings and shutters; 2 represents a fragmentary view of part of the frame of an upper awning to which operating lever 9 is attached; 3 indicates the loop spring, hereinafter explained; 4 represents the wooden plate attached by screws to the post I, such plate containing locking and operating devices and aperture through which lever 9 and arm i4 operates; 5 represents a cam; represents a metal slot cover; 1 represents a metal plate; 8 rep- 5 resents the. slot through which lever 9- functions;

. 9 represents an operating lever for the upper sections of the combination awning and shutter; l0 indicates one of the several safety notches made in the lever 9; H represents the hand grip 19 at the inside lower end of lever 9; 12 represents the metal slide slot cover for slot l3, through which slot operating arm I4 functions; It represents slot through which arm t4 operates; M represents the armfor operating the lower sec-15 tions llof the combination awning and shutter; l5 represents the chain attached to the insideend of arm M for the purpose of lowering or raising the lower section I! of the combination awning and shutter; l6 represents a ring 20 to be used as a hand grip attached to chain l5;

I1 is a. fragmentary view of a part of a lower section of the combination awning and shutter;

I8 represents a catch notch to engage slot cover l2w for the purpose of locking arm M- and to hold said lower section of the awning in a fixed position; 2-3 representsza small. bar attaching the cam 5 to slot cover 6.

Irr'Figure 2, 9 represents a view of part of the operating lever 9 for upper section 2 of the combination' awning and shutter, showing loop spring 3 and positionthereof in the metal casing at the outer end of lever 9 where it is attached to the upper section of the combination awning and shutter. The purpose of said loop spring is to cause a down-ward tension on lever 9 between points I and 2 in Figure 1, which causes lever 9 to remain straight also serving to prevent lever 9 from buckli'ngatthe hinge joints and also holding lever 9 against plate 1 until released by the 40 operator;

Figure 3 shows one of the jointed or hinged sections of lever 9. l0' represents one of the several safety" notches inl'ever 9-, which engage as desired the top edge of: plate I located on plate 2-, thus preven-tingfurther inward movement of lever 9: until released from notchby operator.

In Figure 4, l9 indicates detachable frame screens preferably made: of. rectangular light wooden frames having screening material covering thesame: 20 indicates a screen door; 91ndicates the. operating lever 9 when both the upper and lower sections of the combination awning and shutter are closed.

Iii-Figure 5, 21: indicates detachable hinges attaching both the upper and lower sections of the combination awning and shutter to the top rail or board 22 of the 'verandah, or to the uppermost board or rail 22 of the lower part of the verandah as the case may be; 2 indicates sectional views of 'the'upper sections of the combination awningand shutter at different angles or degrees closed shut or partly so; I! indicates sectional views of the lower part of the'combination awning and shutter at different positions either up or down; 20 represents a screen door which may be also equipped with upper and lower sections of the combination awning and shutter; I9 represents detachable frame screens already mentioned in connection with Figure 4; I indicates a chain attached to arm I4 both used in operating the lower section H of the combination awning and shutter up or down as desired and more clearly shown in Figure 1; 9 indicates operating lever for the upper section of the combination awning and shutter. I4 indicates arm and chainforoperating lower shutter section I'I.

As many sections of the combination awning p and shutter may be used on a verandah as re the frame of the lower shutter section II.

said lower shutter section I1 is lowered to a full To the uppermost edge of the uppermost board 7 22 (See Figure 5) atthe base of. the opening for screens 19 the lo-wershutter section I1 is pivotally connected by hinges 2 I. Said lower shutter sections are in the form of substantially rectangular light durable wood frames having awning material or canvas covering the same. This lower shutter section I! is so arranged that it can be swung down into the ,full open position or swung up and completely closed as shown in Figure 5,

Said lower shutter sections II are provided with operating'arms I4 with chain I 5. and a hand grip' I6 in theform. of an attached ring which passes through a suitable slot I3 formed in plate 4andpostI. 7

The outer end of operating arm I4. is attached to The open position or completely closed by swinging it up from the interior of the verandah by manipulating'operating arm I4 chain I5 and hand grip I6 through slot I 3.

'On plate 4 afilxed to the interior side of post I immediately over slot I3 there is a metal movable slide I2 to engage notch I9 located in operating arm I4 when it is desired to close look or This 7 metal slide is also employed to totally close slot keep rigidthe lower shutter section I I.

I3 when lower shutter section I! is in the down or open positions as shown in Figure 5.

To the top rails or boards 22 of the verandah are hinged the upper awning sections 2 which are formed from substantially light durable wood rectangular frames having canvas awning material covering same.

To the lower inner side of each upper awning \section 2, a jointed lever 9 is attached by means of two screws, this lever passing. througha suitable slot 8 provided in one of the verandah posts) and also through the slot '8 in the plate 4 secured to the innerface of the posts. V 1 The locking cam 5is an ordinary draw-back window-cam attached to plate 4 at one side of lever 9 with the draw-back face of the cam lying against one side of the said lever. One may lock lever 9 in any desired position by locking the cam at which time the lever 9'becomes jammed be- 5 tween the draw-back face of the cam and the opposite side of slot 8 through which lever 9 operates.

The locking cam 5 consists of a base plate 24 which is attached to the plate 4 by means of ears 10 25 and within the recess 26 upon the base plate,

is provided a slidable member 21 having a bearing plate'28 and a projecting lug 29. A member 21 is'situated within the recess 26 and is free to slide forwardly and backwardly therewithin. The cover plate 39 is provided with a lever 3I and a central shank 32, the shank extending through the elongatedorifice 33 in'the member 24 and being spread or riveted on the rear side of the orifice 34 in the centre of the base plate 24. An eccentric track 35 is provided upon the inner face of the member 39, the projection 29 being receivedinto this. track.

its the member 30 is secured onto the base plate 24 by means of the shank 32, it will be ob- 25 vious that when the lever 3| is actuated, the projection 29 must move in the track either towards or away from the shank 32. In this Way, the bearing surface 28 is actuated forwardly or 'backwardly so that in one direction, the bearing 30 surface will be pressing against the arm extending through the orifice 8 and in the other position,'will bereciprocated so that the arm may slide freely. 1

. Plate I is attached totplate 4 underneath lever operatorif he has not a firm hold on lever 9. 1

Such safety notch es automatically engage with the upper edge of plate 1 thus preventing further inward trend until the operator releases such notch.

The upper awning sections 2 are opened par- 4 53 tially opened or closed by manipulating lever 9 outward or inwardthrough slot 8 in'post I and plate .4. The lever 9 can beheld at any desired fixed position by means of cam 5 and the safety notches III as already explained. 5

Lever 9 protruding from the inside of the verandah maybe folded down in a. vertical position parallel and close to the posts I, through which it passes, thus avoiding interference with any one passing or. with other things inside .the 55 verand'ah. ,The lever 9 being jointed allows this tobedone. j

On stormy days or when it is desired to totally exclude the sunor weather, one will completely closethe upper andllowersections such sections being constructed so that'both upper and lower sections meet" when closed and the ornamental fringe or edge of the upper awning overlies and.

covers the crack between the sections, thus providing-a sun, wind, rain; and weather-proof combination shutter. On the other hand one may "open either or both the upper or lower sections 7 lower section I! 'may be left up or swung down as desired. The screen doors maybe equipped with the combination awning and shutter if desired. Theglower shutter section I! may be swung up" and: closed and the upper awning sec- 75.

tion 2 partially opened allowing any desired space within limits for the. entry of fresh air. In this way, the verandah may be used at night for sleeping purposes, any View from the street being obstructed while at the same time, affording protection from the weather. The lower shutter section if may be swung up and completely closed leaving the upper section 2 at any desired position as an awning, thereby raising the lower wall of the verandah 12 to 14 inches, more or less, depending on the size of the lower shutter section, and thus making the verandah more private from the street and at the same time providing a well shaded verandah with plenty of fresh air.

I recommend that the sections of the combined awning and shutter be constructed from 4 to 6 or even 8 feet in length, with one set of operating mechanism to each section installed to the post at, or nearest the centre of each section. The upper awning section is recommended to be 30 inches from top to bottom on ordinary verandahs, but may be wider or narrower if desired. The bottom section I recommend to be 12 to 14 inches from top to bottom but this also may be made Wider or narrower if desired. Each section of the combined awning and shutter is constructed to meet evenly with the sections on either side on the outside of the verandah posts so that when at the same angle as the adjoining sections form a straight line of awnings or shutters across the verandah.

The combination awnings and shutters are attached to the verandah with loose bolt hinges and may be readily and easily detached, then stored away for the winter if desired, and as readily and easily replaced, thus adding to the life of the awning cloth.

In addition the verandah may be equipped with detachable screens that may be easily removed from the inside of the verandah and if desired glazed sash may be used instead of screens or partly so. The sectional verandah design for said screens is shown in Figure 4. These detachable screens when being installed are designed to slip into grooves provided for that purpose at the top of the window frame, only one button at the bottom being necessary to fasten them securely.

A feature of this combined awning and shutter together with such removable screens or glazed sash is that when glass is used instead of screens some of the combination awning and shutter sections could be closed, the remainder of the sections left open, with the open sections furnished with the glass sash allowing a view to be obtained through the glass windows and at the same time have a fully closed verandah.

When glazed glass sashes are used instead of screens the combination awning and shutter may also be desirable for the purpose of providing an awning, and in addition, a wind, rain, and weather-proof protection. The screens or windows can easily be removed and stored away for the winter and thus add years of life to the screens or windows. Another advantage of the detachable screens is that when the verandah is being closed for the winter one may stretch over and tack on to the outside of the screens cheap canvas and replace the screens in position on the verandah thus providing a weather-proof closed verandah. The canvas can be easily removed from the screens when desired. The verandah is closed in this manner without any heavy labor, and the life of the screens lengthened. The detachable screens or glazed glass sash are easily fitted up.

The combination awning and shutter, the screens or glass windows, any or all of them, are operated from the inside of the verandah without the necessity of going outside and avoiding heavy work Or the use of ladders.

Since various modifications can be made in the above invention, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same, made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense and I desire only such 15 limitations placed thereon as are specifically expressed in the accompanying claims.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. The combination with a substantially rectangular, main frame and a stationary upright centrally crossing the mainframe, of an awning frame and a shutter frame located at the outer side of the main frame and pivotally connected at their upper and lower edges respectively to the top and bottom of the main frame and adapted in the closed positions thereof to fully close the opening in the main frame, operating means secured to the awning frame and passing slidably throu h the upright for interior manipulation and operating means secured to the shutter frame and passing slidably through the upright for interior manipulation.

2. The combination with a substantially rectangular, main frame and a stationary upright centrally crossing the main frame, of an awning frame and a shutter frame located at the outer side of the main frame and pivotally connectedat their upper and lower edges respectively to the top and bottom of the main frame and adapted in the closed positions thereof to fully close the opening in the main frame, operating means secured to the awning frame and passing slidably through the upright for interior manipulation, operating means secured to the shutter frame and passing slidably through the upright for interior manipulation, means for fastening the shutter frame closed and means for holding the awning frame in selected open positions and for locking the same against opening in its closed position, both of said latter means being operable at the interior side of the main frame.

3. The combination with a substantially rectangular, main frame and a stationary upright centrally crossing the main frame, of an awning frame and a shutter frame located at the outer side of the main frame and pivotally connected at their upper and lower edges respectively to the top and bottom of the main frame and adapted in the closed positions thereof to fully close the opening in the main frame, an operating bar secured to the free edge of the shutter frame and passing slidably through the upright, a flexible pulling member secured to the inner end of the bar, releasable means for locking the bar against movement in the closed position of the shutter, a jointed sectional bar secured to the free edge of the shutter frame and extending slidably through a slot in the upright and means for holding the sectional bar in selected positions within the slot.

4. The combination with a substantially rectangular, main frame and a stationary upright centrally crossing the frame, of an awning frame located to the outer side of the main frame and having the upper edge thereof pivotally connected free side of the awning frame and the other end passing slidably through a slot provided in the upright and means forlocking the lever against end movement in selected positions of the awningv frame. 7

5. The combination with a substantially rectangular, main frame and a stationary upright centrally crossing the frame,'of an awning frame located to the outer side of the main frame and having the upper edge thereof pivotally connected to the top of the main frame, a jointed sectional lever having one end attached to the free side of the awning frame and the other end passingslidably through a slot provided in the upright and the under side thereof provided at suitable intervals with notches and a plate secured-to the upright. and engageable with the notches in the lever to hold the awning frame in selected open positions. V r

6. The combination with a substantially rectangular, main frame and a stationary upright centrally crossing the frame, of an awning frame located to the outer side of the main frame and having the upper edge thereof pivotally connected to the top of the main frame, a jointed sectional lever having one end attached to the free side of the awning frame and the other end passing slidably through a slot provided in'the upright and the underside thereof provided at suitable intervals with notches, a plate secured to the upright and engageable'with the notches in the lever to hold the awning frame in selected open positions and means carried by the interior face of the upright and releasably engageable with the lever to lock the same against end movement.

7. The combination with a substantially rectangular, "main frame and a stationary upright centrally crossing the frame, of an awning frame located to the outer side of the main frame and having the upper edge thereof pivotally connected to the top of the-main frame, a sectional jointed lever having one end pivotally connected to the free edge of the awning frame and the other end passing slidably through a receiving slot provided in the upright, a spring associated with the lever and the awning frame at the pivot connection'and operating to swing the lever normally downwardly, a plate secured to the inner face of the upright and having a slot therein receiving the lever slidably and the lower end of the slot engageable with suitably spaced notches provided in the under siderof the lever, hand actuated means for jamming the lever within the slot in a y position of the lever and means for closing the slot opening above the lever in any adjusted position of the lever.

HENRY A. JOHNSTON. 

